Interview: Adam Green On 'Holliston' Season Two Premiere

BY AARON SAGERS
(Originally reported at MTV Geek)

It feels like a classic opening setup for most sitcoms: Buddies Adam and Joe bicker as they rush to prepare the big anniversary dinner double-date before the girls arrive. The laugh track responds in kind to the buffoonery. That’s when the blood starts to spill. Fingers are cut to the bone, faces are melted off, a corkscrew screws a Corri -- then there’s a bad banana cream pie incident. And still the laugh track responds, growing in a maniacal intensity.

Such is the set up for Holliston, FEARnet’s comedy that is something of a Big Bang Theory for horror nerds.

Created and starring director Adam Green (Frozen, Hatchet, Hatchet II, Chillerama), the show plays with situational comedy conventions but turns them on a decapitated head by introducing gore and scary movie tropes, such as in the scene described above. Holliston, which has its second season premiere tonight at 10 p.m., also stars director Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2, the much-anticipated Knights of Badassdom), as well as Corri English and Laura Ortiz. Oh yeah, and then there’s Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider as Adam and Joe’s boss and GWAR’s Oderus Urungus who is Adam’s imaginary friend, Oderus.

The show revolves primarily around Adam and Joe’s attempt to get their zombie soccer movie Shinpads made whilst working as horror-show hosts as a low-rent local cable company, and during their adventures, a rogues gallery of scary movie icons appear as skewed versions of themselves. For instance, in the Season Two premiere, the imposing Kane Hodder (the Hatchet series and Friday the 13th parts 7-10) appears as a sensitive and precious actor who attempts suicide when he hears he’s been replaced as Jason Voorhees.

Granted, a segment of the population may not know who Hodder is or, for that matter, other guest stars such as Danielle Harris, Tony Todd and Derek Mears. Hopefully they at least know who John Landis is, but that’s not what Holliston is going for. Loaded with horror movie quotations and background Easter Eggs from the genre, there is a sense that if you get it, you’re one of “us,” but if not, well … you really won’t get it.

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FEARnet announces shorts programming

Courtesy FEARnet

FEARnet.com is being extra generous this season. According to a recent press release, the website companion to the horror network will be premiere more than 30 genre-centric short films in 2013, treating viewers to an eclectic blend of festival favorites, international picks, rarely-seen gems and more. New titles began appearing Jan. 21, and will continue to be added every other week.

The "more" they’re referring just may be the new episodes of the popular and completely adorable "30-Second Bunnies Theater" which are made specifically for FEARnet by horror fan Jennifer Shiman. Shiman began making these short films back in 2004 and reports that, "The idea of bunnies came about because I wanted to find a character that would lend itself to a short film synopsis."

Fans of the little critters can expect to see them in re-imaginings of the popular horror flicks Insidious, The Last Exorcism and The Human Centipede. The first one, Paranormal Activity, debuted Jan. 28. (You can even like the bunnies on Facebook)!

According to the release, here are some other highlights:

"I Love Sarah Jane"
Jimbo is desperately in love with Sarah Jane (Mia Wasikowska, Alice In Wonderland), and will do anything to be with her. But this isn’t your typical romantic comedy. Jimbo and Sarah Jane live in a post-apocalyptic world infested by zombies, in this offbeat short written and directed by Hesher helmer Spencer Susser.

"Sexy Nightmare Slayers"
Two sexy angels have been sent to earth to protect children from the beasts under their beds and the boogiemen in their closets. Team Unicorn presents this short created by Adam Green (Holliston) and Rileah Vanderbilt (Hatchet III), who also stars in it.

"Him Indoors"
Reece Shearsmith (Psychoville) stars in this darkly comedic horror short about an agoraphobic serial killer named Gregory. On the verge of eviction, he devises the perfect plan to save his home. But things are complicated by the arrival of a new neighbor.

"Say It Ain't Solo"
When a father and son hear that their favorite film, Star Wars, is the latest classic to be remade, they set out on a quest to put a stop to it. This star-filled short features appearances by Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Emmanuelle Chriqui (Wrong Turn), Christopher Lloyd (Back To The Future), Malin Åkerman (Watchmen) and Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds).

"Follow The Sun"
"Popcorn for eternity! Hell’s on its way!" The Kansas City-based MK12 collective presents this deranged take on nostalgic movie snack intermission ads that has been a celebrated hit in its screenings at Fantastic Fest, Mile High, and Slamdance.

Intrigued? You can catch all of these short films as well as the already-released "30 Second Bunnies," right here!

FEARnet announces holiday 'Holliston,' 'Tales From The Crypt'

FEARnet isn’t just a channel to indulge in at Halloween, they also like to get into the spirit of Yule! They’ve announced their HoHoHo-rifically awesome holiday line-up and promise a sack full of screams.

Among the highlights are a Holliston marathon and Christmas special, Christmas Eve "Killer Kringle" marathon and a New Year's Eve Tales from the Crypt marathon.

First up is a marathon of the horror-nerd sitcom Holliston,beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. Starring director Adam Green and Joe Lynch, the show revolves around the aspiring genre filmmakers as they deal with romance and run-ins with horror legends Kane Hodder, Tony Todd and John Landis - not to mention GWAR's Oderus Urungus and Dee Snider. Then, at 8 p.m., is the Holliston Christmas Special.

Says a FEARnet press release, "the most wonderful time of the year quickly turns into 'Black Christmas,' when a blizzard strikes the town of Holliston, trapping Adam, Joe, Corri and Laura inside with no power. Of course, being a horror sitcom, it makes sense that a "crazed serial killer" is loose in the area, which interrupts the gangs reminiscing about their time together. Derek Mears (Friday the 13th, Community) guests.

Then, the Christmas Eve "Killer Kringle" marathon begins at noon ET with the promise that "Santa Claus is comin’ to town… and he’s out for blood in a four-film frightfest "dedicated to the not-so-nice side of Old St. Nick." The programming block includes The Traveler, starring Val Kilmer, about a stranger with a secret. Then there's Santa's Slay, about Santa (aka the Son of Satan) whose deal with an angel to play nice for a 1,000 years is up. Up next is Saint, a Dutch flick about a really pissed off Santa. Finally the Spanish movie A Christmas Tale involves a captured woman in a Santa suit who decides to seek revenge against her captors.

And on New Year's Eve, if you're not into The Twilight Zone marathon on Syfy, check out the Tales from the Crypt one. Beginning at 4 p.m. ET, the marathon is hosted by The CryptKeeper, with his first new appearances in 15 years. The 24 episodes include many great classic Crypt eps, including "Dead Wait" ( 8:30 p.m. ET) and "Yellow," (2:30 a.m. ET) but none more appropriate than "And All Through The House," about a "murderous woman terrorized by a maniacal Santa Claus" (6:30 p.m. ET).

FEARnet announces Halloween line up

Sam, courtesy FEARnet

The month horror fans wait for all year is finally here! October tends to be filled with spooktacular programming on other channels, but at FEARnet, they deliver the goods 12 months straight. So, when October arrives, they really need to ramp up their game.

According to a recent press release, "This is the only time of year that other networks concentrate on the horror realm, while we do this all year long," said Sarah Shannon, FEARnet’s director of programming. "So, we put together a schedule that stands out—a monthlong bender of some of the best programming we’ve ever had and some of the best features we’ve ever aired. From the world premieres of Quarantine 2 and Dolan’s Cadillac, to acquired classic TV shows like Tales from the Crypt and The Real Ghostbusters, there will always be something for fans to watch. Not just all month long, but all year long."

A Tale of two Comic-Cons

BY AARON SAGERS
(originally published on July 16)

It was the best of cons, it was the worst of cons, it was the age of fan celebration, it was the age of crass commercialism, it was the epoch of true believers, it was the epoch of sell outs, it was the season of the nerd, it was the season of Hollywood.

Never before had I felt such a sense of belonging accompanied by one that I was out of place.

San Diego Comic-Con 2011: After a day of conducting press interviews and covering panels, I hit The Con floor to pick up some swag before booths closed. There were more than 130,000 attendees and I think I bumped into every single one of them. My eyes were in constant danger from too-close interactions with passing wings, lightsabers, claws and more than a few Dalek protrusions – and I had no Nick Fury patch to cover any resulting eye loss.

Despite the threat, and claustrophobia, I felt I was with my people ... (READ MORE)